Kite plane device



June 14, 1949. M. E. NISSENY KI'I'E PLANE DEVICE Filed March 26, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 14, 1949.

Filed March 26, 1946 M. E. NISSEN KITE PLANE DEVICE 2 sheets-sheet 2 JZW Patented June 14, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- KITE PLANE DEVICE Martin E. Nissen, Hutchinson, Minn.

Application March 26, 1946, Serial No. 657,123

1 Claim.

This invention relates to kite apparatus and more particularly to a toy airplane device adapted to be employed with a kite.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved toy airplane device adapted to be mounted on a kite string, said airplane device being provided with a releasable parachute which is automatically dropped when the toy airplane ascends to a predetermined elevation on the kite string.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved parachute carrier in the form of a toy airplane mounted on a kite string and adapted to be elevated by air currents to a position adjacent the kite, whereupon its parachute is dropped and the toy airplane descends along the kite string.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a kite and toy airplane apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a detail side elevational View, partly in cross-section, of the toy airplane employed in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the toy airplane shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional View taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional detail view taken on line 55 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings, II designates a kite which is provided with the usual kite cord l2. Mounted on cord I2 is a toy airplane I3, said toy airplane comprising a hollow body portion l4 formed of suitable light sheet material such as light gauge aluminum, cardboard, or the like, said body portion being open at each end and shaped in the form of an airplane fuselage. J ournaled inside body portion l4 adjacent the front end thereof are a pair of grooved pulleys l5 and I6 and journaled adjacent the rear end of the hollow body portion are a pair of grooved pulleys ll and IS, the kite cord l2 being threaded through the grooved pulleys I5, I6, I! and It so that the toy airplane I3 is supported on said pulleys and guided thereby for free movement in either direction along the length of kite cord i2.

Pivotally mounted in the forward portion of fuselage H5 is a transverse shaft [9 having secured to the laterally extending end portions thereof wing elements 20, 29. The interior portion of shaft is has rigidly secured thereto a tab 2 member 2| extending in the same plane as wing elements 253, 26. Tab member 2| is connected by a spring 22 to the interior wall surface of fuselage It to thereby bias the wing elements 20, 28 to a horizontal position. The wing elements 20,

29 may be releasably locked in vertical position by a resilient detent member 23 secured at one end to the bottom wall of fuselage M and formed at its free end with a shoulder 2d adapted to cooperate with tab member 2| to at times maintain the wing elements 2B, in their vertical positions. When detent member 23 is depressed shoulder 24 moves downwardly to release tab member 2!, thus allowing spring 22 to move the wing elements to their horizontal position.

Secured to detent member 23 is an arm 25 hav-' ing secured thereto a rearwardly extending rod 26 which projects through the rear end of fuselage Hi and is formed with a loop 21 which encircles kite cord l2. Said kite cord is provided with a longitudinally adjustable stop member 28, which may be a cork or the like, which is mounted on the cord at a desired position adjacent kite ll. When loop 21 contacts stop member 28 as the toy airplane 13 moves rearwardly up the length of cord l2, detent member 23 is depressed, releasing the wing elements 20, '20.

Pivotally secured to the bottom of fuselage l4 adjacent the middle portion thereof is a U-shaped parachute carrier member 29. A toy parachute Si in folded condition is adapted to be disposed between the arms of carrier 29. Secured to the upper arm of the carrier and extending laterally of the fuselage is an arm 3| which extends vertically upwardly when the carrier is in horizontal position. Cooperating with the top end of arm 3! is a gravity-biased detent member 32 pivotally secured to the side wall of fuselage M adjacent and above arm 3|. Detent member 32 is formed with a shoulder 33 adapted to releasably engage the upper end portion of arm 3| and is formed with an extension 3 1 extending in the path of movement of a wing element 20 as said wing element moves to its horizontal position.

When the parachute is loaded between the arms of carrier 29 and detent member 32 is engaged with the upper end portion of arm 3!, as shown in Figure 2, the carrier is retained in a position adjacent the bottom portion of fuselage I4. When the wing elements 20, 20 are released responsive to the abutment of loop 27 with stop member 28 as the toy airplane moves to its top end position on cord 12, detent member 32 is lifted by a wing element 20 and carrier 29 is released. Said carrier swings by gravity to its free depending position, as shown in Figure 1, and allows parachute 30 to drop out.

In operation, wing elements 20, 20 are set to their vertical positions, as shown in Figure 2. The toy airplane is moved rearwardly and upwardly along cord l2 by the action of air currents against the depending wing elements 20, 20. When loop 21 moves into abutment with stop member 28 adjacent kite H, wing elements 28, 20 are released and move to their horizontal positions, thereby lifting the detent members 32, 32 and releasing carrier 29. Parachute 3!) drops out of the carrier and the toy airplane l3 then glides down the kite cord 42, as shown in Figure 1, since the wing elements 20, 20 are now in a position to offer minimum resistance to air currents in he direction of said kite cord.

While a specific embodiment of a toy airplane and kite apparatus has been disclosed in th foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifica ons withi th pirit of e i v tion may occur to those skilled in the art. Thereore, t .is i tend d t at no limita e pla d on the invention other than as defined by the scope of the appended claim,

What is claimed is:

A kite .cord carried toy airplane comprising a hollow, elongated fuselage through which said cord passes, grooved pulleys journaled in said fuselage near the opposite-ends thereof supporting said fuselage on said cord for minimum frictional resistance to movement of said fuselage along said cord, a shaft extending transversely of said fuselage, wing elements supported by said shaft one at each side of said fuselage for pivotal movement between a substantially vertical and a ubstan- 4 tially horizontal position, spring means in said fuselage resiliently urging said wing elements to horizontal position, latch means in said fuselage releasably holding said wing elements in substantially Vertical position, trigger means operatively connected with said latch means and operated by a stop on said cord to release said wing elements for movement to their substantially horizontal positions by said spring means, a U-shaped carrier plvotally connected at its closed end to the underside of said fuselage, and latch means pivotally mounted on said fuselage and engageable with said carrier to releasably hold said carrier in substantielly horizontal position, said carrier latch means being positioned for operative engagement by one of said wing elements in moving from its substantially vertical to its substantially horizontal position to release said carrier for movement by gravity from its substantially horizontal to its substantially vertical position to discharge an obieet therei om MARTIN E. NISSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STA ES PATE Number Name Date 563,066 Rogers June 30, 1896 11,304,1 9 om .e y 20, 1.919 2,105,128 Plane Jan. 11, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 379,036 Great Britain -.-4---.- A 2 32 

